A location-based service (LBS) is a wireless communication service providing value-added information based on the location of a mobile terminal.
In FIG. 1, a conventional location-based service system includes a user terminal 10, a location-based service server 20 and a location server 30.
The user terminal 10 requests/provides a location-based service to/from the location-based service server 20.
The location-based service server 20 provides the location-based service to the user terminal 10 based on the user location information acquired by being linked to the location server 30 upon location-based service request of the user terminal 10.
The location server 30 acquires the location information of the user terminal 10 upon location information request of the location-based service server 20 and provides the location information to the location-based service server 20.
The conventional location-based service providing method is as follows.
When an agreement between the terminal 10 and the location server 30, and an agreement between the location-based service server 20 and the location server 30 are concluded through a preliminary procedure, the user requests a location-based service at step S101 using the user terminal 10 accesses to the required location-based service server 20. The terminal 10 transmits a codeword pre-registered in the location server 30 to protect the user location information with the location-based service request.
The location-based service server 20 requests the required user location information to the location server 30 with the transmitted codeword at step S102.
The location server 30 checks whether the user location information is registered in a user location information exception list. When the user location information is not registered in the user location information exception list, the location server 30 transmits a message to a terminal user, checks whether the user location information is registered in the list, and registers the user location information.
The location-based service requested by the user is set up such that the location information should be provided through a specific checking procedure. That is, the location server 30 requests the terminal 10 to authentication of location information and receives a corresponding response at steps S103 and S104.
The location server 30 makes the location information of the terminal 10 based on a location measuring technology such as cell-ID or Global Positioning System (GPS) methods at step S105 and provides it to the location-based service server 20 at step S105 and S106.
The location-based service server 20 provides the location-based service such as contents or delivery service to the terminal 10 based on the provided location information at step S107.
In the conventional location-based service providing method, when the location server 30 and the location-based service server 20 are operated by the same company or mobile carrier, the location information can be provided based on mutual trust. However, when the location-based service is provided by another location service provider and the location information is provided by the mobile carrier, a location operator which providing location information typically the mobile carrier should take a complicated preliminary procedure related to provision of location information with the location service provider for privacy protection.
Accordingly, the conventional location-based service providing method has problems as follows.
First, by using the fixed format of plain text password as a codeword, a password provided to the location-based service server 20 is exposed to a third party through a malicious service provider or a network hacking, the password may easily leak out.
Second, since a pre-registering procedure for acquiring reliability with the location operator is performed through a complicated procedure such as offline contract in a position of the location service provider, it is difficult for the location service provider to promptly provide a service.
Third, since it is required to go through personal setup change access for an individual location server to set up constraints for one or a specific frequency, or a time and a space in use of the location-based service, there is a problem of inconvenient to use the location-based service.